POP SONG REVIEW: "You Need to Calm Down" by Taylor Swift

Taylor finally takes a stand... maybe? It's a rainbow-colored mess but as with all things Taylor you can't look away.
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[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

The Onion’s headline: Taylor Swift Inspires Teen To Come Out As Straight Woman Needing To Be At Center Of Gay Rights Narrative

[@alexandriaorcld6365]

I hope the Onion doesn't comment, bc they literally could not come up with anything better than that

[@NJGuy1973]

You should write for them.

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

…it was actually their headline. I didn’t think of it

[@CNWhatImSaiyan]

Isaac Mayer Onion and Hard Drive Mag are the only things I look forward to, now.

[@justintimberlake5206]

She did the right n great thing Anyway .

[@NamelessChildIRL]

The fact that Lil Nas X, who basically came out as gay, blocked both this AND Me from hitting #1 on the charts during pride month is truly iconic

[@oof-rr5nf]

AMEN! It is honestly so much harder for POCs to be open about being queer, I am so proud of him.

[@jermwerm2575]

@@oof-rr5nf Lol how exactly is it harder to be gay based on color of skin??!??!

[@seymourglass26]

​@@jermwerm2575 Because it's even more taboo and major life ramifications are far more likely? There's even a "down-low" label for closeted homosexuals that largely refers to people of color. Here's a secret that you can share if you want: there are multiple cultures in America that overlap like an incredibly complicated ven-diagram. Let's set-aside race for a second. If you're from a very Catholic family, it would be harder to come out than if you were a Unitarian, right?

[@jermwerm2575]

@@seymourglass26 no one culture hates gays more than the other, from what Ive seen, being gay is taboo in almost every culture out there. US is the first to embrace it. Saying that a person of color would have a harder time being gay is an insult to gay people out there who arent black, don't be fucking stupid. The amount of discrimination they face is usually more family based in the US, and not cultural.

[@p3bblez]

wait he's gay??? damn i need to respect him more lol

[@BoilingHotTea]

"Stop hating on me and the gays, but mostly me" - Taylor

[@brenyatta]

It does feel that way, like she wanted to make a hater song, but didn’t wanna make it obvious, so she used gay bashing as a way to mask it

[@BlankPageEmperor1334]

"Now look at Gay Rights. Now look at me. Now back to Gay Rights. Now back to me. Sadly, Gay Rights need me."

[@joshdunham7167]

Dude I laughed wayy too hard af this.

[@jun-hs4eo]

No we fuckin don’t

[@gizzinlite]

@@joshdunham7167 :

[@brenyatta]

.... “I’m on a horse.”

[@tinymxnticore]

...i’m on a unicorn. 🦄✨✨

[@tedorbach3430]

I mean this song is literally the music version of the corporate pride logo

[@EpicB]

At the very least I thought Skittles going monochrome for the occasion was mildly amusing.

[@Rorek0fNol]

So the first of July they Yeet this to the bottom of the charts?

[@veoh112]

It sounded like a more pop iggy azealia song to me

[@TheProfessor529]

Eh, I'm one of those folks who find the corporate pandering to the LGBT+ community a net positive. If they think throwing their weight behind the Rainbow is the safest/most lucrative bet, compared to going against it, is a win in our favor. And if the megacorps DO take over in the next few decades, then that pesky systemic bigotry should be, at least, LESS of a problem.

[@samanteater]

@@TheProfessor529 I understand why people are rubbed the wrong way, but honestly I think it's too pointless to even bother caring about. It's a net positive in my eyes. Taylor absolutely did it wrong though.

[@sentretsparkle]

"The extremely bigoted treatment of gay people throughout history that has conditioned the youth into having serious mental issues is exactly the same as when a bunch of people sent me snake emojis on twitter that one time"

[@conservaduck7298]

brandon roberts gaylord swift

[@seymourglass26]

"Tyranny is the deliberate removal of nuance." - A. Maysles

[@ThatOneGuy0006]

@@seymourglass26 Nuance? Haven't heard that word in years...

[@ThatOneGuy0006]

"Hello gays, 'woke' millionare here. I've always loved gays and other such LGBT peoples. Can't you tell by my rainbow profile pic? Now buy my product!"

[@Big_Steve11]

ThatOneGuy006 don’t worry gays “IHOP” is on your side for a whole month

[@justintimberlake5206]

She fought for lgbtq rights Anyway

[@kellanlevi5663]

@@justintimberlake5206 I know that's you taylor

[@justintimberlake5206]

@@kellanlevi5663 sure. Any problem dude?

[@leonardogomez8812]

You might want to seriously talk to your marketing team lol

[@TrlllyComicBookNews]

It's truly amazing that Tayler felt confident enough to come out as a straight white woman who supports gay rights.

[@EuropeanQoheleth]

A celebrity, in the music industry, in 2019 has come out as supporting gay rights only after seemingly every other straight white musician in 2019 has come out in favour of them. Truly Taylor is a lioness and totally not mindlessly following the crowd and trying to score points.

[@vampXwriterX13XX]

She gave a statement that the song and video came about because her friend asked her what she would do if she had a son and he told her he was gay. She said she was shocked that he had to ask, that he thought she might have an issue and decided she needed to make it clear once and for all where she stood

[@StoicKitten]

​@@vampXwriterX13XX Actually, how awesome would it have been if she did a song that just more or less said that? A song about regretting not standing up for what she believed in sooner would be a more genuine connection with the group she's trying to support while still staying in her songwriting wheelhouse of self-narratives. Plus, it would actually be kind of brave and unique; as Todd points out, there's already a lot of "yay me screw the haters" songs even just in her own discography. Not so for honest "I'm really disappointed in past me but I'm gonna do better now" songs from pop divas.

[@David-bf6bz]

Brave and Courageous!

[@sparklingdaisy3169]

@@EuropeanQoheleth was that sarcasm?

[@thomasplatt4939]

Lil Nas, an actual gay man, being no. 1 and Taylor Swift's gay rights anthem being no. 2 feels correct. I really can't find it in me to be mad about that.

[@bluelion6783]

But guess who’s voice is louder, oh right Taylor’s lol and also being an ally of gay rights, dont have to be gay to support it. Lil nas probably don’t even talk about it.

[@theteamranbir]

Not every song that happens to be pro-gay is an "anthem".

[@floydlooney6837]

Condescending insincerity in second place

[@heckicusdoomicuswizardus1382]

@@bluelion6783 that's fucking hilarious. You're fucking hilarious.

[@GladiusTR]

And you do not see the irony in your comment? Swifties have, like, no self awareness

[@Kat-qe1vk]

Ah, Rainbow Capitalism: The Song™️

[@jeffreymilliman2306]

Yup. Curious how all the protesters look poor and toothless. "Clearly, the problem isn't well-funded, systemic bigotry that pushes horrible legislation and spreads slickly-produced propaganda; it's those stupid poor people!"

[@ababyharpseal6534]

​@@jeffreymilliman2306 I'm so sick of homophobia being primarily associated with rural communities and lower income people in the public imagination. The most homophobic people that I've ever met have all been upper-middle class white yuppies, and they're the ones that have the power and influence to convert their homophobic beliefs into homophobic public policy.

[@gracecarpinter8623]

@@ababyharpseal6534 I agree, it's really damn classist. Last time I looked, Mike Pence wasn't a poor rural hick.

[@jeffreymilliman2306]

@@gracecarpinter8623 That's been my experience, too.

[@kasrasadrehashemi174]

Oh I love that saying since it's true.

[@catiecatspam6999]

As someone who is queer...this song is exactly what one would hear if all of the rainbow-packaged consumer products could sing.

[@luckybunny9456]

Yeah it definitely not ideal but she actually does and has donated to LGBT+ charities unlike the rainbow brands on Twitter.

[@alexhunter6225]

As someone who is both bi and trans, absolutely

[@34weaselsinatrenchcoat11]

~ pink capitalism ~

[@piperd9069]

Bi and nonbinary here..... Yep!!!

[@trucetruce335]

I did like the music video. I would love to live in that pastel world with all my gay friends where we dance and swim and eat and just be happy. I like the music videos to a lot of terrible songs though,, I am a sucker for aesthetic and it seems only music videos can properly create.

[@tswizzle2020]

I'm gay, and this is not an anthem. Born This Way is an anthem. This is...a joke.

[@GambeTama]

@@miipmiipmiip From what a cursory search has told me, she had received some flack for those things too. It's just that her momentum kind of kept it from sticking. Though if you ask me, her making a song with R. Kelly should probably have put her to the fire a bit more, but in the end it's all just more chapters in the book "Racism and Politics don't Matter when I'm Richer and More Famous than You."

[@cinnabonsaii]

Born this way is a wholeass BOP. Timeless. You need to calm down is.. probably going to thrive in present day and be forgotten later. 🤷‍♀️

[@calvinlee8103]

@@miipmiipmiip Don't worry; I'm crippled and she cleared the whole wheelchair thing with me first.

[@chrishansen3278]

T Swizzle I thought the LGBT anthem was YMCA

[@meaninglesscommenter8457]

paul smudge omg yes

[@okbasic353]

''Cause *shade* never made anybody less gay - this is a coded reference to personally victimize Todd in the *Shadows*

[@totesme14]

Ok * slow clap *

[@troyareyes]

My god!

[@dahlrjay63]

#IStandwithTodd

[@nachofilament294]

Someone has to call Todd out on his homophobia

[@dysperdotted]

#istandwithtodd.

[@thegayghost872]

Gay person here to weigh in on this. I'm happy to see someone as popular as Taylor Swift making a pro-gay song, but it's so... surface level.

[@alexworld257]

She's obviously not making it for folks like you, my friend. She's making it to be flamboyant, to be noticed by extremes (aka political sides and people interested in the dumbed-down media). It's still pro-lgbt on the surface, but it's almost too generic to really be, just like in the whole black acceptance movement that makes blacks feel weird because they're treated like they're too unique. Nevertheless, have a nice day, I'm going to bed.

[@MaJetiGizzle]

Ghostwriter Just curious, but isn’t that something one could also say about Pride month at this point?

[@alexworld257]

@@MaJetiGizzle Hmm... Interesting. I never put a second thought into it, everybody just accepted it exists. Worth questioning indeed.

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Ghostwriter This isn’t a pro-gay song. This is a pro-Taylor-Swift’s-bottom-line-and-perceived-social-capital song.

[@HangmanOfficialUploads]

Even calling it "surface level" is doing it no justice. It's like "you guuurrrllll" in early 2000s pop songs. It's meant to speak to "undefined person of interest group" for sales.

[@Lyndiloo]

Shade is an insult that is so well hidden that the person being insulted doesn't immediately realize they're being insulted. Like saying "I wish I could be as brave in my wardrobe choices as you are" is shade because it is a *shady way* of saying "It takes a lot of balls to wear that in public."

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

My mom's best friend is gay and he's where I first heard it; we're also black. But didn't know that about its definition. So essentially, it's like a backwards compliment?

[@TheAngryXenite]

@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley Backhanded one, yes.

[@noricoco4695]

@@miipmiipmiip Honestly most people that use the term "shade".. especially in pop culture.. use it incorrectly.

[@seraxx1973]

o w o it was popularized by drag, especially. “Throwing shade” was a part of “reading” each other.

[@sottosopravoce]

Todd was approaching shade when he said "And honestly, if I were Katy Perry, I would be flattered." And that dude lives in the shadows.

[@MiloKuroshiro]

Oof, I'm from a really homophobic country where if I was out of the closet I would be persecuted to death and that song hurts. A lot. I wish I had to deal with Shade.

[@fini5294]

That's terrible. Look out for yourself and if you're not already, consider using a vpn so you can't be tracked online when talking about your struggles.

[@mj-yo7vt]

Russian here, it's gonna be okay, I promise

[@firstnamelastname7244]

I hope things turn out well for you.

[@purpledragon2442]

Fuck man, hope it gets better for you.

[@rolypoly9381]

Hang in there man hope it gets better

[@oneannoyingwhiteguy]

This song is basically “You and me but mostly me!” from The Book of Mormon but without the irony.

[@pecklespeckle1]

I've finally heard it described perfectly

[@stuffstuff137]

Vulcan Jedi lol

[@alexperkins5753]

I was thinking exactly that.

[@cattledogandstaffy]

And without the amazing vocals

[@cheesyncrackers9670]

And without the beautiful voice of Andrew Rannells

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

Fun fact: Old Town Road has blocked more songs from the Number 1 spot than any other in history

[@RaidsEpicly]

God I love that song. Genre-smashing, the artist is super humble yet also worked his ass off viral marketing it with memes in order to make it massive, destroys every huge stars overproduced hits, and is also just a damn banger. I really hope it makes it 5 more weeks to become the longest song at #1 in history

[@NickYankee95]

I still have yet to listen to that song

[@cassidy5748]

They're gonna make a movie about all this one day lol

[@oneblacksun]

That's a good thing.

[@Lycaon1765]

@@RaidsEpicly it wasn't really "genre-mashing", guy talking about horses and cowboy hats doesn't equal country. It's just rap.

[@jjju3]

"shes got all those gay and trans people in video, couldn't one of them have told her!?!" My opinion about the entire song lmao

[@christopherb501]

Considering they're similarly rich and thus divorced from circles of ordinary people and their struggles, it's doubtful they'd have any insight anyway.

[@TajFaerie]

Blank Blanckersen I think u hit the nail on the head. However Todrick Hall has experience directly calling people out in his art the more famous he’s gotten. His song ordinary day snaps hard on the murder of Trayvon. His song f-g is also very direct and scathing toward homophobes who suddenly want his attention now that he’s famous. it is odd that he wouldn’t help her tighten up the lyrics a bit or just help her write an entirely new song all about LGBT rights

[@daredrogers3884]

I accidentally misread trans as trains so for a second I was kinda confused, lol.

[@TajFaerie]

Dared Rogers 😂

[@frozenweevil4022]

Maybe they understand the fact that you can’t fit everything about civil rights into one song!

[@lupusdracool8149]

"I, and also, the gays, have too may haters" now that is a great quote to just hear out of context

[@Angel-nl1wy]

The ongoing joke of old town road destroying it's rivals is something I hope lasts forever

[@culwin]

Baby Shark still rising in the charts.

[@oneblacksun]

@@culwin That song needs to die in an open gasoline fire.

[@leetorry]

Lil Nas X is our generation's Nirvana

[@V-grandraccoon]

Lil Nas X has now come out. Taylor’s attempt at pandering to gay people was destroyed by an actual gay person.

[@Janine.Najarian]

@@V-grandraccoon dang

[@MSkyDragons]

Seriously it's like Taylor Swift is aging backwards. Her music used to be mature but in recent years her releases sound like some edgy teen wrote them. I feel this especially for You Need To Calm Down because the production is so good but it's bogged down for its childish, playground insult level lyrics. I know this song supports LGBT but just because a song has a positive message, doesn't automatically make it good.

[@dyldragon1]

If this is edgy than the word has officially lost all meaning.

[@MSkyDragons]

@@dyldragon1 not specifically only this song but her Reputation era was pretty much her just trying to be edgy (Look What You Made Me Do, Ready For It etc) but looking more like a child throwing a tantrum

[@lissawho4974]

Agree. Also like the positive message about supporting the LGBT community is kind of muddled with her own personal issues.

[@TheSongwritingCat]

I wonder if there's some impulse to self-infantilize and get back to innocent Taylor who used to get yelled at less often. I don't think she's quite figured out that the sexiness of the 1989/Reputation era is not what people want and making "adult" music would just be writing songs that are more mature and grounded and meaningful.

[@cptrelentless80085]

She used to be able to sing, too. This is autotuned to fuck, mostly because it doesn't scan but they've had to crank it quite hard.

[@visualsno]

“I, and also the gays”, I’m going to start all my sentences that way

[@jessicazeller8060]

“Hate” could have replaced “shade” and made more sense. ???

[@DestinyKiller]

I was thinking that, too. Why not use hate?

[@TheAlps36]

@@DestinyKiller probably because in a desperate act of trying to stay relevant she tried to throw in some modern slang

[@seraxx1973]

Jessica Zeller I feel like she’s heard that “shade” is something to do with drag and paired it that way. Honestly I don’t think a lot of thought went into this song. The lyrics sound so thrown out in an afternoon.

[@ingledont]

i imagine she was trying to say their hate is desperate and ineffective bc gays are strong or whatever but it didn't work at all

[@Andor.]

But the gay say shade

[@thevoidlookspretty7079]

It’s a hater song, just the second verse is about haters of gays. Gaters, if you will. But the rest is about Taylor haters. Taters, if you will.

[@jakesibley897]

The Void Looks Pretty I most certainly willn’t

[@culwin]

There are many levels of "hater". Writing somebody a mean tweet can only go so far. It's a tweet. You can also be a hater of broccoli. Then you can kill somebody because of their sexuality. Different levels.

[@leilanidru7506]

Gaters n taters

[@lucapeyrefitte6899]

You had be at gaters then you lost me at taters cuz I laughed pretty hard 😂

[@raymondsmith9975]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏, brilliant...

[@danieltodd9449]

Time for me to have an already formed opinion either be validated or thrown out for Todd’s opinion

[@mnoypoiuyt65r4w8]

Lol

[@RomHam]

Didn't know I was watching a RLM video

[@TheSongwritingCat]

I feel validated.

[@paullwrightt]

This happens to me everytime and im blindsided each time.

[@RaidsEpicly]

I'm not sure if it's better or worse that I don't care enough about pop music to have opinions on it, so my opinion is almost always influenced entirely by todds opinion. I didn't need him to tell me old town road was a banger though, only 5 more weeks before it becomes the song with the longest time at #1 in history!

[@scrambled5948]

This song to gay rights is what the Kendal Jenner Pepsi ad is to protests

[@Yoarashi]

It ain't no Born This Way, that's for sure.

[@kieranstark7213]

Born This Way is a fucking masterpiece compared to Taylor Swift’s songs (the only ones I liked might have to be You Belong With Me to an extent, Back to December which I used to traditionally ball-dance to with my middle school crush), but only reason why Born This Way isn’t my favourite song by the artist is because G.U.Y. (Girl Under You), Poker Face, Bad Romance, Paparazzi, The Edge of Glory, Applause, Just Dance ft. Colby O’Denis, Alejandro, Americano, Telephone ft. Beyonce and Marry the Night exist! So what I’m trying to say is that Born This Way is definitely cool, but most other Lady Gaga songs are hard to top! 😎

[@EpicB]

@@kieranstark7213 I don't keep up with modern pop much but I definitely can't hate on Lady Gaga. Born This Way is definitely a much better song even if it doesn't mean much to me.

[@Solo-vh9fm]

Or express yourself for that matter

[@enriquesanchez9016]

@@EpicB Seriously? Gaga is one of the biggest cancer pop music ever had. And Born This Way is a rip off of Express Yourself.

[@EpicB]

@@enriquesanchez9016 Okay, Born This Way being a ripoff of Express Yourself is a fair observation. I don't get the rest of your comment though.

[@juliamavroidi8601]

The video juxtaposing rich, influential celebrities with caricatures of uneducated, poor people really, REALLY rubbed me the wrong way. It's just countering superficial, unjustified hate of a marginalized group with... exactly that.

[@ababyharpseal6534]

There's also the fact that the likelihood of a person being poor dramatically increases if they're a member of the LGBT community. Associating poverty with homophobia is just another way to shit on poor people, and it actively hurts both communities.

[@amityislandchum]

But in the video, the LGBTs all live in a trailer park. It isn't about socioeconomic level, it's just about hate.

[@amityislandchum]

@@AnHeC We get it, dude. You like Trump and 4chan and think you're so edgy. Maybe you should try making a friend in real life?

[@RyanStorey1231]

I've seen this take a lot, but I feel like that's a bit of a reach.

[@FaeQueenCory]

@@amityislandchum Hunnychile, let me tell you the first rule of 4chan: Don't feed the trolls.

[@artemiswolf4508]

Confession time: I absolutely thought this was a coming out song for the way Taylor stared and danced with the hamburger girl..... and I’m just now realizing that was Katy Perry and it was about their stupid feud that I know nothing about

[@mastermarkus5307]

That's beautiful.

[@ZanraiKid]

Ooh, you aren’t the only one.

[@bev2.0]

Same here, she could have made that make-up scene a little less confusing

[@TheEmcr14]

I thought Katy Perry was finally going to kiss a girl

[@LokiDuck]

Honestly I would have thought the same thing if I hadn't first heard of this song through Todd's video. The fact that Taylor has hair dyed like the bi flag at one point does not help and it honestly annoys me that she had it that way if she's straight.

[@newsystembad]

This song is basically the poster child of "performative wokeness".

[@gabe_s_videos]

Generally speaking, telling anyone to calm down is the most assured way to make them even angrier.

[@erinmiller1433]

Gabriel Schleifer The worst is being told to calm down when you’re not even angry.

[@gabe_s_videos]

@@erinmiller1433 And most of the time, the people telling you to calm down are the ones who are angrier. What they actually mean is "Get off my back."

[@AdamDeLand]

At my retail job, we had a training course on dealing with escalating anger in customers, and it said in it that "calm down" are the two words that you'd never want to say.

[@SavageGreywolf]

Taylor Swift is the daughter of a stockbroker and a mutual fund marketing executive from an upscale suburb in Pennsylvania. The 'down home country girl' image is exactly that: an image. If it seems like she's oblivious, it's because she truly is.

[@yvette4948]

SavageGreywolf I had a friend who recently found that out and it was like telling her the truth about Santa Claus.

[@TheLuci915]

I idolized her when I was younger because she was portrayed as this sweet, bullied little girl who grew up on a Christmas tree farm. Yeah, no.

[@dariakey5318]

@Taylor Williams 3% of music company shares is the whole company? Are you ok?) He did help to establish it, but in much less amount than you try to picture it.

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

SavageGreywolf what a phony lol.

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

And I’m a poor black kid living in the projects lol.

[@ToddintheShadows]

In the time between me putting this video on early access on Patreon and me making it live on KZbin, Taylor Swift has restarted several public feuds and sparked a couple new ones. I don't know if that changes anything I said about her attempting to be positive but I do know that I feel dumb trying to make timely videos about Taylor when the pace of T-Swift news moves this fast.

[@Gingerm0nster]

How exactly did she “restart” those feuds? She spoke openly and honestly about wanting to own her creations that are now in the hands of someone who helped to orchestrate an attack on her character.

[@danieltodd9449]

They seem like only slight changes that don’t dispute any points you’ve made

[@leifeday]

To be fair, at least these new “feuds” are founded in something important, unlike the Katy Perry feud where the main basis was a dumb misunderstanding

[@UnorthodoxIndividual]

Swift is too Swift ay.

[@kwclass09]

Your schedule is what it is, don't break your neck trying to keep up with every crazy vid that comes out. But Please do that weird ass Informer cover next, that shit is terrible.

[@christianj5950]

one of my biggest issues with this song is that it feels like, just like in "mean", she's comparing being gay to like... being a nerd. like. some people will tease you, but you will ultimately come out on top and make it big in the world while your "haters" will be small-town hobos with minimum-wage jobs. which... is not true, for most people. but if you're a straight ally in hollywood, it probably "feels" true because you have so many rich gay friends. to anyone who isn't a straight ally in LA, it feels classist and baiting and in poor taste, where you reinforce the right-wing's stereotype that "real america" is for conservatives and being lgbt is like, a "coastal elite" thing, which has it's own problematic coding.

[@adrenalinevan]

jesus christ thats exactly how it feels you deserve a lot more credit for hitting this one right

[@penguinsrbirds2]

Holy shit, this comment is so accurate. "you reinforce the right-wing's stereotype that "real america" is for conservatives and being lgbt is like, a "coastal elite" thing, which has it's own problematic coding." As someone who has lived in both conservative America and among the "coastal elites", yes. This.

[@seanmcneil349]

This is the most well thought out comment I’ve read in a long time

[@FellDownTheCornHole]

When in the song Mean she spends the whole time telling this guy Hes mean but the bridge goes "You're Mean, You're pathetic, and alone in life". Like girl YOU just became the mean one.

[@jmurray1110]

Not to mention the international market Who know places were it’s still punishable by death

[@arzeenine]

"why be mad when you could be glad" literally quoting a trash bag commercial

[@queerty7]

GLAAD is an LGBTQ+ association i think...she was still about the Gay Power stuff

[@bobshoe8426]

Meanwhile in other news Lil Nas X is actually gay.

[@jamescook5783]

And now Nashville dislikes him even more

[@annnee6818]

Which is cool af. Black gay rapper, we need this.

[@bobshoe8426]

@@annnee6818 we have a couple already.

[@n3v3rg01ngback]

Robbie Hsu We needed a gay black cowboy.

[@jamesharvey5150]

Ann Nee frank ocean?

[@KillsAllHumanity]

Tbh, taylor swifts line has just rubbed me the wrong way because it just feels really calculated in the midst of a #pride month jacked by companies looking to cash in on a growing group of consumers.

[@andysorensen1737]

ivygreen I have a lesbian friend of mine who posted a Facebook status about how you can celebrate Pride year round instead of just in June when everyone does. If she released this single in say, November, I’d buy the LGBT messaging and support a bit more than a single that just happens to be released in June when she can just toss an easy bone to the LGBT community.

[@swivelkeyring3512]

yep it sounds like cheap pandering

[@TheLuci915]

I honestly just feel like she used the community and its struggle because her career was down the drain. It wasn't even a full song dedicated to lgbt+, it was mostly about her own little struggles with trolls telling her that she can't sing... Like, come on, Taylor? You really just compared someone saying that you don't deserve fame to actual thousands-millions of people who genuinely wish death on a person because they're different???

[@samt3412]

Yup, it feels just put in for... Reasons? What always confused me was why it's called Pride month instead of Self-Esteem month. The term Pride month could easily get confused with the bad kind of pride, the one that comes with double the fall. It doesn't make sense to me, especially when Self-Esteem month could reach beyond the LGBT community and deal with mental health issues that are problems extending to every type of person.

[@0sarah0911]

Taylor Swift and corporations co-opting pride yet a Black trans woman was called the cops on for bringing awareness to the epidemic of murdered Black trans women at STONEWALL and... silence. It’s very deliberate, whitewashing the radical beginnings of the gay pride movement. It’s a strategic move by brands to lazily seem “progressive” so you don’t question how exploitative their existences are.

[@bookhunter7375]

This pride month we didn't need Taylor, we had Lil Nas X

[@imaginaryfoe2178]

Sun Goes Down

[@BlackWolf207]

Lil Nas X is arguably worse

[@imaginaryfoe2178]

@@BlackWolf207 As someone who is unquestionably biased against your opinion in almost every way, could you explain your stance here? I’m not trying to fight, just don’t understand.

[@exquisitecorpse__]

@@imaginaryfoe2178 Thing is good and popular. I do not like thing. I am individual.

[@sjc4]

There are actual gay artists who make better music.

[@synflwr]

Let’s all just stan Lil Nas X from now on

[@nightflairr2186]

girl in red, lil nas x,...yeah let’s just stan people like them

[@nightflairr2186]

NebuLucid yess

[@veijisz]

Check MATILDA she's got a great vibe

[@bowiieh5187]

@@nightflairr2186 troye sivan?

[@bradwolf07]

I heard someone call this song "A song about a straight person's struggle in a gay party until she finds the only other straight person there"...Never bothered to watch the video or listen to the song, so i cannot confirm.

[@juliec5151]

ughhhh god it's true ffs why are straight people like this?

[@averyl6086]

@@juliec5151 As a straight person I would like to say we are no all like TS

[@amygao1969]

@@juliec5151 "why are straight people like this" don't generalize an entire group of people like that

[@amygao1969]

The song isn't, but the music video is basically "Taylor Swift having fun with her gay friends, ignoring haters, and then making up with Katy Perry" I didn't really see where your friend got that she's struggling since I didn't see that at all in the video lol

[@bradwolf07]

@@amygao1969 no idea, either.

[@webshowMUFFIN]

The Meagan Trainor aesthetic is making me nauseous.

[@lgstack2496]

Quinn Swimmingpools Truth Hurts but Lizzo reminds me of a Meagan Trainor song and it suckss

[@helvetica6189]

@@lgstack2496 wtf how

[@larissabrglum3856]

It's not great, but I still prefer it over the visuals of the last album, which felt so forced. Taylor was never meant to be edgy.

[@noricoco4695]

That's what got me in the video about "ME!" - when he pointed out that Taylor is basically drifting into Meahan Trainor's super shallow lane.

[@adeer87]

Whallop So?

[@priapocalypse]

"If I were to make a top ten list of Taylor's worst lyrics..." should read "WHEN I make a top ten list of Taylor's worst lyrics..." PLEASE TODD. PLEASE.

[@jamescook5783]

That would be great. Heck, he could even make it a series and do other artists.

[@gabe_s_videos]

"And we see you over there on the internet" would definitely be at the top of my list. Maybe not the worst lyric ever, but the rhythm she sings it with makes my teeth hurt.

[@kaydineg3686]

Gabriel Schleifer oh that rhythm was PAINFUL

[@justintimberlake5206]

But her great lyrics are really masterpiece like all too well

[@hidbid1]

@@justintimberlake5206 No

[@jennyumm89]

None of her "anthems" are groundbreaking. She's about 9 years too late.

[@NJGuy1973]

In 2029 she'll put out an pro-environment anthem.

[@christopherb501]

@@NJGuy1973 Even if it's as bad, in parallel, to THIS song, it's still bound to be better than "Earth"...

[@kieranstark7213]

In 2039, she will put on an anthem called “The Start of a New Half Century - Nothing”

[@ffjreviews9029]

NJGuy1973 we already have an environmental anthem, it was made by one of the worst rappers alive.

[@j.d.t.5761]

"15 Years Too Late" - Syndrome, 2004

[@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic]

Fun fact: This is the first time Todd's done 5 pop song Reviews in a row since One Hit Wonderland first became a thing.

[@harinimarchadi1204]

2019 is the weirdest year

[@__VQ__]

Didn't he have a Trainrecords uploaded, too?

[@tealyg99]

Catch The Rainbow he re-uploaded the blocked Lauren Hill episode, but that was uploaded originally before the old town road episode, which began this streak of pop song reviews

[@Edtism]

A real testament to how interesting the charts have been this year, huh?

[@GeorgePerakis]

Honestly fuck Patreon for making Todd do so many One Hit Wonderlands. I love that series but this is the only way I keep myself updated on mainstream popular music since I stopped listening to the radio so when Todd goes months without uploading a single pop song review I feel like a fucking alien around normal people.

[@doubleh333lix]

as a bi girl, i find her lack of understanding of what the lgbt community actually goes through insulting lmao. lil nas x dominating the charts as a gay black man is wonderful. i hope old town road stays there.

[@gabbo7101]

But the song isnt good and if he came out recently, whos to say he didnt just say that for brownie points?

[@jacksonsmith2955]

@@gabbo7101 I hope you've grown and changed as a person in the past 3 years.

[@gabbo7101]

@@jacksonsmith2955 Funnily enough, I have. I went from being a conservative rightoid to someone who you could consider quite far left now. Though I was always trans, I am no longer self loathing and I have actually picked up my first perscription of hrt yesterday

[@jacksonsmith2955]

@@gabbo7101 Aww, that's actually really sweet

[@gabbo7101]

@@jacksonsmith2955 Thanks! I just took my first ever dosage of Estrogen this morning!

[@kato6196]

Speaking as A Gay, both the mcdonalds rainbow wrapper thing and this song honestly make me shake my head. It has the same energy as random products with a pink version "just for women." I want legal protections and equal opportunities, not shallow pandering by celebrities and megacorporations.

[@BlackSheepNara]

Garth Brooks got tons of shit back in the 90's for these lyrics: When we’re free to love anyone we choose / When this world’s big enough for all different views / When we all can worship from our own kind of pew/ Then we shall be free TSwift waited till 2019, when it's safe to support LGBT people. Garth Brooks did it in 1992, when it could've ruined his career.

[@blazicgd]

I too would’ve loved hearing 3 year old Taylor Swift make a gay rights anthem

[@blazicgd]

@@BlackSheepNara It was obviously a joke

[@BlackSheepNara]

AmethystGMD it wasn't obvious to me. I'm very sorry.

[@danmseattle975]

Everything she does is calculated. Now she's come out against Trump- wow, how daring! How brave! But a LOT of people hate him now. It's hardly daring.

[@frozenweevil4022]

That’s not how time works

[@WFM]

Wow Todd! This song only came out 2 weeks ago! You’ve moved up from your standard 3.

[@JamesR1986]

...months

[@kirby-rh5js]

I really think we’re in the middle of a Toddaissance. You NEVER see people actively improve this far along into their KZbin career like Todd has. While the music this year doesn’t sound necessarily better or different than the years before it, Todd has been actively thriving off the year’s strange hot 100 and swooping in with topical and insightful takes as opposed to the last couple years where he’s often felt uncomfortable due to the music not being his genre. But he’s adapted and he’s better than ever

[@valiantmouse8365]

I'm baffled that he has yet to acknowledge Billie Eilish. Love her or hate her, but she is hot new singer that everyone seems to want to talk about and I'm surprised that Todd doesn't want to be part of that. * I mean hot as popular not attractive. She is still underage.

[@harrisonsnellgrove8843]

Valiant Mouse “abort abort abort!”

[@sdlarcgirl]

I've never heard of it until Todd posted it! It hasn't been on Music Choice or the other MTV channel when videos are on LMAO. Omg please stop talking about yourself! I only saved ME because of Brendon Urie

[@moni6013]

the real gay anthem was Equal Rights by The Lonely Island

[@RaidsEpicly]

I think you mean Spring Break Anthem by The Lonely Island

[@moni6013]

@@RaidsEpicly I'M A FOOL I can't believe I forgot that absolute banger

[@Nakia11798]

Yeah that’s better than this for sure.

[@zombieedrea]

RaidsEpicly crushing pussies MARRY A MAN

[@sdlarcgirl]

I need to find it lol.

[@dyedshirt3206]

"Hello, fellow millenials. I turned my company logo rainbow and I'm being woke and supportive! If you want to keep that support, buy my expensive new product."

[@terminallumbago6465]

I don't think anybody is more obsessed with Taylor Swift than Taylor Swift

[@kieranstark7213]

If she wants to date someone without feeling like breaking up with him (or her) for some reason, then maybe she should be her own girlfriend/wife!

[@michaelhall5429]

Or Todd

[@KurosakiYukigo]

Taylor Swift has always had that "I'm not panicking, *you're* panicking!" vibe to her.

[@renanphillips1479]

T.S.: you need to calm down T.I.T.S.: JE SUIS CALM!

[@houstonionthegreat]

haha u say tits hehehe

[@lrose1310]

*calme

[@eugeniatrujillo3824]

@@lrose1310 calm is the correct form for a male

[@pancakeofdestiny]

This song is so repulsive and cynically pandering. Thanks for your review. Also, I really appreciate the fact that you acknowledge all the bisexual pop divas out there. I'm quite tired of Gaga et al. being framed as "allies" when they're actually part of the LGBT community.

[@christopherb501]

Just like the mindset of the nitwits that go to see Bohemian Rhapsody or Rocketman (and NOT the Russian cut...) and try to ignore that the leads are gay. Mindboggling.

[@christopherb501]

@@takemyhand1988 Whoopsy. I stand by my point.

[@sydneehorne3551]

I've been rewatching this and initially I was listening to it more than watching it, and I this time I actually really watched it and about the whole "she's coming out as gay" uproar - She dyed her hair the color of the bi flag. That's why people thought she was coming out. She, literally, was wrapping herself with the bisexual symbol. Annnnnd since she wasn't coming out, that's like, extra tacky. I ... I don't know why no one was like "mmmm maybe not"

[@coconutshampoo9025]

Yeah, I was pissed about that. Just tasteless, but I didn’t notice that at first. What I noticed was the burger and fries metaphor between her and Katy. That’s what got me, and I never even liked either that much.

[@troyareyes]

Yeah that's not what "shade" means. If she wanted the partial rhyme, "hate" wouldn't have been a better word

[@TeenDream888]

I was thinking the _same_ thing. Taylor might be way out of her depth attempting politics, but she knows exactly how to fuck with people and pander. it's why we always see her in the charts.

[@millerhxc]

The thing is, "hate" probably has made people "less gay". Or at least hate and the original stigma of homosexuality is what made a lot of people hide their true feelings and get married to someone they didn't really love and have kids purely to prove something to their own parents and/or peers. I think maybe times are changing with Pride and the mainstream acceptance of homosexuality not only making people more open to coming out as gay but also has more straight people wanting to be part of the LGBTQ community in some way.

[@dandi9099]

@@millerhxc even if someone had went all out getting married and having kids with someone of the opposite gender, they would be still gay at the end of the day, but would be forced to live a lie. I think that the phrase "hate doesn't make you less gay" makes sense cause you would not believe how many bigots they are out there who are really just trying to deny their own sexuallity

[@Nakia11798]

She has no idea how shade works

[@TheHeroOfTomorrow]

"The rumor come out: does Taylor Swift is gay?"

[@KariIzumi1]

I’ve heard she’s supposedly bi

[@meltheofficegamergirl9772]

how do it know?!

[@sydneyfoster2734]

Omg it’s back lol

[@Opno]

It's like a real life version of Equal Rights from Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping "I'm not gay, but if I was I would want equal rights"

[@RaeCharm]

THIS IS THE HOT TAKE I NEEDED.

[@s.g.7572]

A comment that got lost but I thought raised a really good point (sorry whoever originally made it!): There's also a LOT of classism and pretty-privilege happening in the video. Like, of course it's great to celebrate LGBTQ+ people looking gorgeous and fabulous, but Taylor also pretty explicitly casts the main threat towards gay people as poor, dirty backwards rural folks with missing teeth and stained shirts. Ew. The actual main issue facing LGBTQ+ people is, y'know, _legislation that considers them subhuman_ . It's pretty disgusting to vilify uneducated working-class people INSTEAD of the rich white 1% who are really standing in the way of progress. This wouldn't be as much of a problem either if it wasn't for the contrast to the perfect-looking gays that are in the video. Anybody interested in fashion could tell you that those outfits are not cheap. Taylor is dipping into the LGBTQ+ community and picking the most inoffensive uWu smol bean figureheads to use as props in her video. This isn't a dig on the celebrities in the video, who seem super cool, but you wouldn't find a John Waters or Larry Kramer in that video. It's all too clean and obvious, to the detriment of actually pointing out genuine injustice and representation of different branches of the community.

[@Yijasha]

Everything has to relate back to Taylors own life experience or it doesnt exist to her.

[@mipmipmipmipmip]

tip to Taylor Swift: there's no "Me" in LGBT

[@strawberrysana4497]

Yeah because she writes songs about her own life experiences...

[@dr.calamity2079]

@@mipmipmipmipmip Not yet

[@StormyKopaAMVs]

@@strawberrysana4497 Plenty of musicians write about their life experiences without having their head up their ass, just saying...

[@germanvisitor2]

Maybe someone could set up a meeting with Taylor Swift and Steven Anderson. Or send her to his church so she can listen to his sermons.

[@conservaduck7298]

Literally the first thought I had watching the music video was “Todd’s gonna hate this”

[@huntercrunch94]

"a bully doesn't shove you into a locker because he wishes you were bigger and cooler" that was freaking hilarious.

[@morphman86]

Swift's biggest "Hello, fellow kids" moment!

[@jessica23claire]

Look kids! Drag queens! That thing you like! Yassssss 🤪🤪🤪

[@kieranstark7213]

Taylor Swift: Hello, fellow damsels! *slices someone with sword for his gender*

[@lildeadgirl1443]

People send Taylor snake emojis and the Vice President wishes my friends and I were in conversion camps. Totally the same. I feel so seen!!!

[@TheLuci915]

This comment is so hilariously tragic

[@lilmisskitty164]

That's okay, we can fuck the same sex at the camps ;D

[@queenemma5823]

Taylor: People are mean to me on social media because I got caught in a lie and two of the most insufferable people in pop culture were the ones who exposed me Me: people in my own community think my sexuality isn't valid.

[@Wired4Life2]

The VP supporting conversion therapy was debunked, too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4ikgI2Kj52Dfbs

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

WittyNameHere1443 Yeah, isn’t it great to hear a song demanding queer representation made by an affluent straight, cis celebrity who has a been famously ambivalent towards the bigots in her fanbase and comes from money older than Mitt Romney’s? I’m sure you can rest easy knowing that your suffering exclusively comes from the working class, and is in no way a product of institutionalized homophobia that is exacerbated by institutions that only care about you as far as you can be seen as a valid market of potential mindless consumers.

[@TheTundraTerror]

I'm so glad that Taylor is willing to support a group of people at a time in history when support for said group has mostly peaked. I'm also glad she did it in a song that's basically all about her. It totally means a lot that she waited until she had basically nothing to lose to write it.

[@gabbo7101]

@Chica Chica Not really she hasnt relaly gone full "gay gay gay" till recently

[@warman13x]

@@gabbo7101 It's very possible that a lot of that had to do with her record deal though. Big Machine Records is a country music company. Country music is notorious for not wanting their artists to share political opinions due to what happened to the Dixie Chicks in 2003. I'm at least willing to give her the benefit of the doubt on this particular one.

[@margaretgibbs6673]

Right? Like I think what people who question why we gotta be so negative or underwhelmed miss, is context. The hate and protests Lady Gaga got were so intense, misogynistic and homophobic people calling her demonic for her repeated and unambiguous support of LGBT people (also she herself is bi but half the time people forget) both in and out of her music. Yes her career survived but it easily could've gone the other way. The 2000s were such a different world culturally and politically, I don't think anyone who wasn't alive or old enough to really remember then can imagine. So her doing that back then was like. An actual risk. She had something to lose by doing that when her career was just taking off instead of when she's had years of hits and multiple albums that have made tons of money under her belt to help her weather any backlash. She was older than Taylor yes, but not by much. People forget that. Artists who were either out or potentially read as queer or made open statements on the subject even earlier in time risked so much more than Lady Gaga did, when George Michael got outed it ruined his career and for years, his life. Ellen (yes, aged like milk lol) got effectively "cancelled" for coming out in the most direct possible way, by her show getting pulled and it's amazing her career didn't die forever right then and there. It nearly did. Judy Garland back in the 50s could've genuinely lost her career or risked getting blacklisted by the government for saying "I love ALL my fans" when she was asked if she knew how she'd basically become a Gay Icon before that was a term, or anything but an insult to most of society. It didn't directly cause it but the woman had gotten investigated by *the US government* and HUAC and all that back when McCarthyism was in full swing, lots of actors were. And people might question any connections but this idea of the Lavender Menace, this moral "weakening" (and danger from...being blackmailed over threats of being outed, irony) that queer people supposedly posed to American Society during the Cold War, was tied up heavily with a lot of Red Scare fear mongering, it was a lot bigger of a part than most people really remember today. So Judy saying that back then, standing up for her gay fans publically even that much?? Took serious balls. (And now open expressions of bigotry are starting to ramp back up again yayyyy) But you nailed it, at the time that this song came out (ha) Taylor was, knowingly or not, hitting the perfect window of time when it risked possibly the least blowback ever for her to take such an...incredibly basic and surface level stance as "Hey, Westboro-style homophobes are bad. They're mean. Don't be mean guys!!" And I can't read her mind, I doubt it was really fully as self-consciously cynical as that. But I can say that I don't think anyone could or should blame people for being skeptical and suspicious given all this. No, someone doesn't have to always Do the Most Ever, but the expectation by many fans that we all lose our minds over what a HUGE DEAL this is...yeah, given a lot of people have risked so much more, that's gonna get on some nerves.

[@claustrophobe2222]

​@warman13x oh country is totally fine with you being political, as long as you're a right winger.

[@JoshuaFagan]

Todd 2016-2018: Pop music is dead. Todd 2019: I'm going to do five song reviews in a row instead of doing One-Hit Wonderland because there's so much to talk about!

[@ScarsWillFade08]

I was thinking about the line "shade never made anybody less gay." I feel like if you just changed "shade" to "shame..." that line would have been way more relevant.

[@phocarrot]

Taylor still acts so much like a neurotic teenage girl that it's easy to forget I'm the same age as her. Being that emotinally inconsistent at almost 30 has got to be exhausting. Just thinking about it makes me want to go take a nap.

[@Marinealver]

Hollywood doesn't want their stars to grow up.

[@noemistephanie93]

totally agree! You can tell by her music that she is VERY petty and holds grudges like a teen girl

[@captainayaaya28]

This comment didn’t age well…

[@s.g.7572]

@@captainayaaya28 How come?

[@ForeverGotShorter]

That kind of fame freezes people at the age they were when they "made" it. You can't live a normal life anymore, which means you can't go through all the trials and tribulations that people have to go through in order to mature (I think we can all think of a few celebrities, particularly certain movies stars, this applies to…).

[@natmar8308]

The only problem with this review is that it forces me to actually hear the song when i've done SUCH a good job avoiding it

[@mastermarkus5307]

I'm doubly bothered by how Todd's videos seem to always have the song itself mixed higher than his voice, so I keep having to adjust the volume and I do not appreciate this audio violence.

[@sofiarodriguez6768]

I literally haven't head any of it till now.

[@2120musiclover]

Master Markus facts. Lol

[@ryanblaz4118]

There was a girl in my art class who would openly insult my work, then start singing this whenever I responded so automatic 0/10

[@miastevans7392]

this song is, ironically, one of the straightest songs she’s ever released

[@possum1093]

Its like when a stright person stops being homophobic and feels the need to talk about it around any gay person

[@leonardomapache]

I'm gay and I feel condescended by this. Madonna is demanding gun control for the safety of the gays with her songs right now and Taylor is making cutesy songs.

[@lavender.lemonade]

And Madonna was having fierce ballroom vougers perform with her in the 80's where they were centered. And Taylor just like used a room full of gay black men as back-up dancers in Look What you made me do.

[@lustforchanel3051]

Madonna was literally fighting for gay rights in the 80’s when everyone and their mama was homophobic! Taylor only does this once it’s widely accepted and it shows

[@Champiness]

Well as long as we know who’s winning the stan wars, I guess that settles everything

[@zooms6316]

I mean I argue we should just arm the gays instead of giving more power to the same government that kept us down for so long

[@MoriguTheDead]

@@lustforchanel3051 Taylor Swift is 30 years younger, and wasn't even alive when Madonna was doing some of that. You can't blame her for not being alive to fight back then. Both were in their 20's when they did things related to gay rights. Lots of stuff to trash Selfabsorbed Swift for, but being born late isn't one.

[@fermintenava5911]

It's funny how Taylor Swift does her own far-too-late gay anthem by bringing in a cameo of a singer who's own shameless bicuriousity song aired a decade ago. And yet, both songs are kinda equally pandering, though "Kissed a girl" was more banking on scandal, while this one is fishing for LGTB-appeal and straight allies.

[@jacobmtcastle5741]

Fermin Tenava and at least Katy’s song sounded good

[@mokinokaro]

Katy Perry has nothing on Jill Sobule. It was truly risky when she did it.

[@doomsdayscara]

her song “The Man” was a MUCH better take on the unnecessary criticism she gets for simply existing by pointing out that if she were a man, people wouldn’t call her or accuse her of half of the things that she has been since she started her career. i wish THAT song would have been the single instead of this mess

[@joshdunham7167]

Totally but she wouldn't be half as big if she was a dude.

[@phastinemoon]

Helped by the drop of Miss Americana, which had some pretty astonishing examples of the pressure and politics behind the scenes that she was dealing with in the industry.

[@goingunder2548]

I'm just tired of this whole 'why do people criticise me' thing, whether it's well written or not. A song here and there is fine. It's just ridiculous. Taylor a white cishet conventionally pretty non-disabled woman from a decent enough background who's career has literally only ever gone up. But oh noes there's teenagers on Tweeter who make fun of me and say I have a bajillion boyfriends. Stuff that even the z-list female celebrities deal with, many of them with even worse or more pervasive (ie systematic racism in the industries) abuse to deal with on top of it. Sometimes I really think Taylor needs to take up meditation or something, she's still just way too sensitive for someone who has been in the game for almost 2 decades now. It takes a whole lot of mental energy to just write songs like this over, and over, and over, and over again.

[@Tea_Noire]

I'm gonna have to be honest, but Taylor comparing the hate she gets online to the centuries of persecution and discrimination against a group of people just for their sexuality is insulting imo and really rubs me the wrong way :/

[@amityislandchum]

It wasn't about the hate she gets on the internet. It's a reference to the fact that successful women are ALWAYS pitted against each other, which reflects an even longer history of misogyny and female oppression. People just love to spin it into "oh Taylor is talking about mean comments and snake emojis" because again, people are eager to diminish women's issues.

[@SecretAgentNein]

You can still get murdered for being gay, but that’s pretty much the same thing as getting mean tweets, right?

[@amityislandchum]

You can also still get murdered just for being a woman.

[@SecretAgentNein]

sharksandsheep It’s cute how you thought I was talking to you, but I can assure you you put more thought and effort into that interpretation of yours than Taylor Swift put into the verse you’re interpreting.

[@amityislandchum]

@@SecretAgentNein Where did I say you were talking to me? I pretty clearly did not address my reply to you.

[@auzpayeur8229]

This has nothing to do with anything, but when I was a kid, there was a video I watched where a kid in a wheelchair is being bullied for being in a wheelchair. He’s called an idiot. He’s called slow. And then finally, at the end of the video, he turns on his bullies and says, “Just because I’m in a wheelchair doesn’t mean I’m stupid.” And the bullies just. Apologize. “Aight sorry man, I didn’t know.” And even at the age of Young, the whole thing sounded off to me. That’s not how bullies work, Young Me said. They don’t care if their insults are legitimate. The point was always to shame, to deride. They weren’t misinformed, they were malicious. And you’re the idiot if you think politely explaining the reason for your existence to your prosecutors was enough to get them to see the errors of their ways. Anyways that’s what this whole song makes me think of.

[@bificommander7472]

It also suggests that mocking him if he also had a mental handicap would have been fine.

[@josephancion2190]

This is actually a related comment overall.

[@Pooky1991]

I want to share your comment with everyone who says we need to to approach bigotry and bullying with understanding and discussion in order to show them the error of their ways. Its hard to have a discussion with people who want you dead and/or treated like less than human

[@progunjack5556]

@@Pooky1991 then what's the solution??? Shame them back?? That only make things worse

[@paisleepunk]

​@@progunjack5556look at your username, then try again

[@tinymxnticore]

I wonder if the message of “ignore the homophobes” resonates more with gays who are relatively privileged, rich, and successful...meaning the people Taylor associates with IRL.

[@destroyerkitty9434]

As someone who is part of the LGBT+ community, comparing her twitter haters to years of oppression and hate crimes over what people love and who they want to be is insanely insulting.

[@EmperorTigerstar]

First: me Then: you (need to calm down) Next: Nos Swiftamos

[@nanobyt0r]

YOU WATCH TitS?

[@Drogon7102]

@@nanobyt0r every guy watches tits

[@alexworld257]

It got so confused when I saw tits for the first time

[@RaidsEpicly]

After watching that blender + cotton candy clip 20 times in 2 minutes all I want to know is how it's not spilling with no lid on

[@artistwithouttalent]

And also what are the contents and in what measures?

[@CineMasterDamian]

*Ding*

[@InaZeaAnaZazi]

It's not spilling because it's not full enough. The centripetal force keeps the stuff glued to the sides, but it's not enough to throw the things up. Must be because of the viscosity of the fluid, possibly the addition of the cotton candy is what keeps it down? I'd say that the thing is not half as full in the overhead shot as in the one from the front to facilitate that. Or maybe we just don't see enough of it to start spilling everywhere... But I'm no physicist^^

[@TheRealPentigan]

Also it does spill a bit.

[@LVoidtheEndless]

That’s a theme I felt with pride month this year “It’s good that they’re doing it but it’s just to sell you their shit”

[@troodon1096]

I mean, being pro gay rights is better than being anti gay rights I suppose, but it's done in such a patronizing way that it feels more like self-serving advertisement than activism.

[@PineappleLiar]

I’ll be honest during the clips of Taylor in the pool I kept getting distracted thinking about how the edge of her fur jacket was probably brushing against the water and getting really gross and soggy and I couldn’t pay attention to much else thinking of that.

[@Minam0]

It feels appropriate that Old Town Road beat this one too since Lil Nas X just came out.

[@leonardoalquicira5061]

I love this review of Paper Planes by M.I.A, Thank you melon!

[@florida_mane6267]

Holy shit I new that this song sounded like something else

[@starbucksicedteaman1211]

tHIs IS tHe wRONg CHaNnel

[@djscrewfan310]

That reminds me he needs to do a One Hit Wonderland on that

[@madhatterman01]

@@djscrewfan310 Does M.I.A really qualify as a One Hit Wonder though?

[@florida_mane6267]

@@djscrewfan310 it'd be cool for him to do one on an artist that's good

[@rabidhog4912]

She really pulled the “well I like gay people so shut up” card

[@Sforz-tarifa]

And gay people love her

[@julijanamitchell6917]

Gotta love that 🌈💸Rainbow Capitalism💸🌈

[@tsukiyumetan5362]

You nailed it right on the nose!😂

[@oklahomacityradiowaves5462]

Capitalism isn’t great but what’s the alternative?

[@smartyuno]

Didn't Lil Nas X come out today, on a tangentially related note?

[@marvelousTUD]

Yes, the TRUE gay icon.

[@JohnDoe-xf8ew]

Nas has bested Taylor once again

[@rebirththekat002]

Old town road is a better gay anthem than you need to calm down

[@binah7744]

Four years later and this is still in my top ten Todd videos. “I, and also the gays, have too many haters” cracks me up every time

[@lonerChise]

and yet it fits she puts Katy in there - both clearly deserve each other on their shallow pastel pop AND not knowing basic idioms meanings (dark horse, shade....)

[@OceanbornAngel]

I didn't even know that was Katy Perry. Mission not accomplished with me on that "big" cameo.

[@TheAirBear2000]

I know, right? I can't even fucking recognize her most of the time anymore.

[@RadicalReviewer]

I recommend Peter Coffin's video about this song and how it says "dont hate lgbt hate this caricature of poor people"

[@dwc1964]

I came here to say this, glad to see you here saying it first (fancy meeting you here!)

[@RadicalReviewer]

@@dwc1964 as somone who likes obscure music i like todd givin me a sense of what's goin down in the pop world.

[@RyanStorey1231]

Honestly, I thought that video was reaching really hard. I think you have to try really hard to be offended by this song.

[@PeachyBeins]

Ugh not Peter Coffin. The white dude who is incapable of speaking on any social issues but he brings in basic socialist talking points/buzz words to make his points more "intellectual". "It's not racism it's capitalism. Sexism doesn't exist only capitalism. I know this blk person spoke up abkut systemic racism and the POC being pushed to tge wayside so instead of reflecting on my privilege/trying to ruminate on these issues I'll go yeah but let me whitesplain how capitalism iz the sole reason for this and systematic racism is just an insignificant by product." Yeah fuck that guy

[@cf9368]

What? A fellow anarchist, in the comments of a normal video? Surprising!

[@dm121984]

"It's not dislodged old town road but that has a throne made from the skulls its collected" - loved that.

[@gabe_s_videos]

Ariana Grande dealing with drama: "Just keep breathin'..." Taylor Swift dealing with drama: "YOU need to calm down!"

[@tropezando]

Thank you, Old Town Road, for smacking this song down. Lil Nas X doing the Lord's work. Oh and according to recent tweets, he's actually a member of the LGBT community, so it's fitting that he's been #1 all through Pride.

[@jamesbmadden]

Taylor: you need to come down Todd: *JE SUIS CALME*

[@canadmexi]

I think Taylor's gonna make a song about her but disguise it as a feminist anthem called "Me 2".

[@liofotiafan9460]

oh god

[@gibhib]

Hey Gumshoe, how's the salary?

[@paulinedavis8372]

Lol" the cops are outta control! The central park 5, my dui!"

[@kylez8010]

I really think Taylor is bored, and directionless now at nearly 30. Having all this talent on not doing much with it.

[@JackedThor-so]

yeah, i don't think she's made anything good since 1989 which had actual... talent.... and good song writing behind it. i think she shot herself in the foot with the whole "bad girl, old taylor is dead" thing since she's now vomiting sprinkles and rainbow puppies all over the place. i used to like her when she felt more genuine but now she just feels like what i suppose she always was: a prop for people to exploit.